Aa

February 1, 2001
PreS-K-These books focus on the phonetic method of reading, incorporating phonics, crisp photos, a word list, and additional words to learn in each slim book. A sentence on the right with the highlighted letter showcased in red faces a full-color, full-page photograph. Each book ends with a question. For example, in Gg, readers are asked: "What does Grant feed?" The answer, as displayed in the photo, is a goat. It's a rather didactic approach to learning the sounds of letters. Jane Belk Moncure's "Sound Box" series (Child's World, 2000), recently updated, is a better choice for stories that rely on phonics.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY

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